


Special Ingredient

by Ononymous



Series: Undertale Anniversary Requests 2019 [2]
Category: Deltarune (Video Game), Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Post-Deltarune Chapter One
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-11-23 12:04:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20891834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ononymous/pseuds/Ononymous
Summary: In the wake of the Lightners' profound effects on the Kingdom, Lancer acts on what's important: Throwing a party. And Ralsei is happy to help out.





	Special Ingredient

The castle hadn't been this lively in a long time. Guards moving boxes from one end of a floor to the other. Other guards then moving those boxes back to where they had originally been. Long lines at the Hip Shop. Trembling at those guarding the newest prisoner, who had been completely silent since his arrival in his own dungeon. Downright terror at the newly-empty cell and what that meant for the kingdom. This was mostly ignored, for buzzkilling was now a crime. Cleaning, decorating, disarming of traps to replace them with way cooler ones. Nearly everyone did their part with relish. Amid all this hustle and bustle, a green-clad figure needed to dodge being trampled by this indifferent horde of orders being obeyed, slowly advancing to the heart of the organised chaos.

"Excuse me, sorry. Excuse me, thank you. Sorry, I didn't mean to step on that. Oh, um, okay, I can hold this. There you go. Of course I can lend you some money! Can I get your name so you can... oh they're gone. Excuse me..."

"Prince!"

The crowd instinctively cleared a path in the direction of the voice, and the visitor spotted a smooth white throne, with the familiar spade emblem serving as the back of the chair. And there sat the new King of the dark realm, looking even smaller than he really was, in a chair designed for someone much larger than he, but with a glint in his shadowed eyes that he was determined to guide the land through a difficult transition. He had one leg drooping over the arm rest as he played with a game console.

"Oh, hi Lancer!" called Ralsei, using the cleared path to approach his newest friend.

"Ya know," said Lancer, frowning, "everybody else calls me 'His Eminence Lancer of House Spade, One King of Four, but definitely the awesomest of them'. Or 'Your Majesty' for short."

"Oh..." Ralsei's glasses appeared to bend with embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Your Eminence-"

"But you can just call me Lancer!" A blue tongue blepped in jest, as the King got up to slap his guest on the back. "Anyone who I've tried to kick the ass of doesn't need all that formal junk."

Ralsei's hat straightened up of its own accord. "Okay!" He looked around at the busy courtiers. "You're sure getting a lot done."

"Yep. Not much time, we gotta be ready."

"Oh, are you going to release the other three Kings, and then we can work to address the fountain?"

"Eventually, but there's something far more important."

"Really? What's that!"

Lancer spread his arms wide to encompass the workers. "My coronation anniversary party! Gotta get the decorations just right!"

Ralsei tipped his head. "Your anniversary? But um... d-didn't you become king three days ago?"

Lancer leapt off his throne. "Exactly! My one hundred hour anniversary is coming up fast, and that's the most important one!"

Ralsei followed Lancer as he descended into the crowd. "That's funny. I always thought anniversaries started at the one year mark, but if you say it's important, then it's obviously important!"

Lancer threw an arm around Ralsei's shoulder and pulled him close. "You know, you're the first guy who understood where I'm coming from without me having to get out the diagram and flow chart. I knew I was right to ask for your help!"

"Oh, that's right, you needed my help!" Shadowed fangs peeked over Ralsei's scarf as he smiled. "I'll be glad to!"

"Great! Go bake a cake."

"Baking? But I didn't bring any ingredients. I have some Top Cake from our adventure though, maybe."

"Naaaaaah, I already got that cake. But I heard some guys talk about friend cake, and that sounds way more delicious."

"Friend cake? Oh, I've never made that before. Do you know how?"

"Hell no, but I know someone who does..."

* * *

"No he doth not!"

Ralsei found himself in the castle kitchen, with a sample of every distinct foodstuff in the pantry laid out on the table, a shimmering blue figure with pure white hair towering over him.

"Forgivst mine liege, nobleth Prince, for yet again he taketh the wordst of others at their root meaningst. If he doesn't do his homework tomorrow I'm going to ground him!"

"Ah," said Ralsei, his unseen brow furrowing. "So then, Mister Kard-"

"_Kaard_, pleaseth! Two'st A's!"

"Sorry." Ralsei reached out for an apron, his white hands grabbing one, before tying it around himself without taking off his hat at all. "So, what is a friend cake, then?"

"Alas, I've'th never quaffed one, but ancienteth rumours declare it any'st confectionary borne fromst the oveneth of one's friends, regardless of flavoureth. There be nothing in the wayeth of fix'ds't recipe."

Ralsei stood in silence for a moment, trying to decode Rouxls' definition. Definition his very being seemed to lose as emergency runtime was diverted to figuring this out. But eventually it twigged.

"So we'll just make a yummy cake for the party? I can do that! It'll be great. Let's see, we've got eggs, milk, flour, sugar, icing."

"Hold fast, worms!"

Ralsei planted his fists on his side in indignation. "Hey, that's not a very nice thing to say! I know we were enemies a few days ago, but I thought this would be a great way to have fun together!"

Rouxls rested a slender finger on his chin, trying to understand this reaction. "Oh! Thou'st graspeth the grieviously erroneouseth end of the stickst. I'dst never slander anyone borneth of nobility. I merely suggested to thee worms."

"Worms?" Ralsei adjusted his hat. "In what?"

"Inst thine cake, of courseth!"

To protect his brain, Ralsei had to act like he did not yet understand what he'd already understood. "You want me to put worms... in the cake?"

"Yessethst!" His grace clapped his hands in delight. "That boy hath declined all nutritious means I slaveth over, what better opportunity to tricketh a decent meal into the Royal belly?"

To underline his point, he pointed to a bowl Ralsei wasn't sure had been there before. If it had, he must have dismissed it as pasta of some sort, like poorly trousled spaghetti. He was realising his mistake now.

"Worm cake..." his head suddenly rose in confidence. "I read in a book once some people eat works as a source of protein. Why not? Sounds like it'll be unique!"

"Wonderfullst!" The Duke grabbed a bag of flour and dumped it over the worms.

"Um, I think we'll need to do it a little differently from that. First we get some scales and measure the flour..."

* * *

The music of the party had been well received. For the first twenty minutes at least. Then Lancer's scratched CD had looped back to the beginning from the middle of the seventh song, and he'd been too stingy to pay for other music from the Hip Shop. By the dawn of the fifth hour a thriving black market in ear plugs had sprang up, unnoticed by the King, who danced as though he were alone in his bedroom. The fact the dance floor actually was in his bedroom didn't help, and was left unremarked by people who knew better.

"Aw yeah, I love this song!" He shouted for the fifteenth time. And everyone heard him, for the music vanished. "Huh? What gives?"

"Mine liege," beseeched Rouxls, genuflecting with enough submission to ratify a peace treaty. "The delightful treatsts are leviedeth within the Throne Room. Shan'tst we saunter overst there and see the fruits of thine subjectst's preparations."

"Okay, I guess." Lancer was frowning. "But can't we see the cake of their preparation instead?"

"Um, that's what I meant."

"Oh, great! Let's go!"

And they did. Some oblivious guests, missing the change due to their ear plugs, continued dancing with no coordination whatsoever. However the guards helped make sure a festive quorum awaited the King in the throne room. And they were not alone, accompanied by all sorts of punch, buns, individually wrapped chocolate and nuts treats sent as a gift from the ambassador of the Scarlet Forest, caviar nobody would touch because it was a bylaw that a party had to have caviar. Chocolate mints reserved for after the coffee, although nobody had brewed any, and of course a long table groaning with cake. Lancer missed it all however, seeing the pale pink cake with a single large castle held by the chef of noble blood standing by the throne.

"Here you go, Lancer!" cheered Ralsei. "You want to make a wish and blow out-"

A gust of wind nearly knocked Ralsei's hat off, and the candle died in the crossfire. With a grin threatening to escape his face, Lancer had seized a large pre-sliced piece of the cake and shoved it in his mouth, chewing happily. With each movement of his jaw however, the chewing slowed, and the smile waned. Despite the hubbub of the room everyone could hear the confidence of his chewing evapourate. Ralsei and Rouxls looked directly at him, their own smiles not shrinking but being suddenly fixed. Lancer swallowed.

"...what's in this cake?"

"...worms, sire," said Rouxls. And then straight to the sellout phase. "'twere this pleb's plot! He said thou needed protein! I shall haveth him arrestedst-"

"_Ha!_" Lancer grabbed an unsliced chunk and swallowed it whole. Everyone applauded, unsure when it was safe to stop.

"Um, does that mean... does that mean you like it?" asked Ralsei, leaning in hopefully.

"Om no wah, is grossf," said Lancer. Then he swallowed again. "But that's what makes a great friend cake! Tricking your friends into eating lame stuff and getting them to pull your finger! That was the best friend cake I ever had! Didn't know you had it in you!"

"But sire, that'st notteth what a friend cake beeth-"

"It is now, I'm decreeing it!" Everyone cheered, a little harder than they truly felt about it. "Thanks, you guys, this is the best hundred hour coronation anniversary any king could ask for!"

Ralsei found himself no longer holding anything, Rouxls having snatched it to triumph his great contribution to bakery legislation. Ralsei didn't mind this, as it meant he could clap along with everyone else at how much fun the party had been. His one great contribution complete, he was soon participating in a conga line, with no memory of how that happened, but happy at all the happiness. So happy he missed a small thoughtful detail on Lancer's grin. This was also covered up by Lancer ordering Rouxls to pull his finger.

* * *

"A few minutes alone, guys."

The guards saluted their lord, marching upstairs to help with the cleanup after the party. The king looked past the bars, at the hulking figure staring resolutely at the moss on the walls.

"I thought... I thought you might like this."

Lancer poked the plate through the bars, the sole surviving slice of the friend cake. The navy-draped occupant of the cell acted as though he hadn't heard.

"Hope you feel better soon, Dad."

The king silently walked away. There was no motion for several minutes, before his predecessor finally looked around, a scowl softening ever so slightly, looking down at what his son had brought him.

**Author's Note:**

> Original suggestion: Ralsei trying out baking or cooking things he hasn't done before.
> 
> Pastebin Version: https://pastebin.com/dw3LNkWz
> 
> Let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!


End file.
